John Rolewicz

Campus Involvement

On Being A Peer Mentor

Any time you are forced into a new environment, it is never a comfortable transition. However, it can be much easier and smoother depending upon the people and environment around you. When I was getting ready to move into Washington College as a freshman I was pretty much a nervous wreck. I didn’t know a single person who was moving on campus with me and there were so many unknowns about college life and academics. It can be a very intimidating experience going from your life of having a ton of friends in high school to immediately not knowing anybody in college. That is the thing I most enjoy about being a peer mentor. You can visibly see at times how uncomfortable new students can be and it feels great to just sit down with them at times and hang out. And sometimes the best moments are not one-on-one; you can invite a couple of the guys over to play a pick-up game of football or basketball. The best part of being a peer mentor is just being around the freshmen on campus and simply “being one of the guys.”

Students definitely go through many challenges during their first year but the greatest challenge is probably time management. Especially during the first few weeks of school, there is so much swirling around the heads of freshmen with studying, athletics, clubs, and parties that it can be overwhelming at first. But on a campus like ours, it is definitely possible to do all of these activities as long as you plan out your schedule well. A college student’s worst enemy is wasting time, like simply playing video games with his roommate during the scheduled “study slot” in his schedule. As long as you manage your time well, you can have plenty of spare time to have fun while getting good grades at Washington College.

Q&A

Hometown? Bear, DE

High School? Salesianum

Favorite Class at WC? Intro to Microeconomics

Recommended Professor? Prof Scott / He makes a class with very boring material a lot less boring. Plus he’s a really nice professor who cares about the students in his class

Most Memorable Experience as a First-Year Student? Birthday Ball without a doubt. Overall, it was an amazing time that lasts into the early hours of the morning. Its also really fun to see all of your friends dressed up for a change.

If I could be an animal? I would be a dog. Who doesn’t love dogs?

One Thing You Shouldn’t Forget to Pack? A little rug to place next to your bed. The tile floor can get REALLY cold on your feet when you’re changing in the mornings. Also, people tend to forget an air freshener. Living with another boy can be hazardous to the smell of your room.